Applications for the Study Programme

Applications can be submitted throughout the duration of this study programme (2024-2026). In other words, from the announcement of the programme to the end of 2026. In the latter case, implementation of the projects approved will only begin in the subsequent three-year period.

Yes. Generally speaking, Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos promotes studies or policy papers that fall under the most varied of areas in social science, doing justice to its statutory mission of learning more about Portuguese society and publishing information on it.

The FFMS research topics to be focused on throughout the 2024-2026 three-year period are available on the FFMS website, in the section on its study programme.

No. FFMS has established no funding limit for its studies or policy papers. The FFMS governing bodies analyse all of the applications submitted and decide, on a case-by-case basis, if the budget requested is in line with the goals of the corresponding project.

Yes. If the contracted researchers have ties to universities or research centres, FFMS may pay up to 20% of all project overheads.

Yes. FFMS accepts applications from individual researchers. Even so, it is rare for projects to be assigned to individual researchers as the studies contracted by FFMS usually involve multidisciplinary teams, sometimes international ones, of a certain size.

On average, the studies promoted by FFMS take around two years to prepare. However, this average value is merely indicative and the preparation of a certain study could take a little more or less time, whenever this serves the purpose of the project.

Yes. Both the contracted researchers and the application reviewers are suitably rewarded for their work. FFMS has a fee table that is applied uniformly and the contracted authors are informed of this.

Normally, the researchers contracted by FFMS are academics with relevant publications in a certain scientific area, so it is unlikely that somebody who has not yet completed their PHD would be coordinating an FFMS study, although there is nothing to prevent this. However, FFMS study coordinators usually contract research fellows and other less experienced researchers to work on their projects.

FFMS studies do not have to be confined to one scientific area. In fact, FFMS favours studies that are transversal to several scientific areas, provided that this option adds to the project in question.

Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos was set up with the purpose of learning more about Portuguese society. Even so, FFMS promotes studies that make it possible to make comparisons with countries similar to Portugal, particularly European Union member states and OECD member states, as well as countries in Southern Europe, whenever this option contributes to understanding more about Portuguese society. You can learn more about the research topics for this three-year period (2024-2026) here.

Yes. FFMS also promotes projects that include international members (Portuguese living abroad or citizens of other countries). FFMS assures the publication of the project results in Portuguese, thus complying with its statutory mission, even if the authors do not speak Portuguese. Nevertheless, it is important to point out that all the studies should focus on the Portuguese reality even if they include data on other countries or communities.

No. FFMS is statutorily prevented from funding master's degree or PhD courses, fellowships or sabbaticals for the purpose of scientific research.

No. FFMS budgets for study publication costs only after these have been approved, in accordance with the communication strategy it has laid out.

Apart from assessing the applications, the FFMS scientific team is also in charge of monitoring the projects approved. To this end, a project manager and a scientific adviser with expertise in the area in question are assigned to each research team contracted. The scientific team also assists in event production and the publication of promotional materials for the studies (books, infographics, videos, etc.).

No. The scientific team only works on publications arising from the scientific studies promoted by FFMS. Any other proposals should be sent to the general email (ffms@ffms.pt).